Joe Root named men’s Test player of the year

International Cricket Council (ICC) on Monday announced the England skipper Joe Root as the men’s Test player of the year with 1,708 runs in 15 matches during the calendar year 2021.

The England and Wales Cricket Board, on their official Twitter handle, tweeted’ “The winner of the ICC Men’s Test Cricketer of the Year for 2021. An incredible year from the King, @root66”

The winner of the ICC Men’s Test Cricketer of the Year for 2021. An incredible year from the King, @root66 👑 pic.twitter.com/7HjcWmUent

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) January 24, 2022

Root’s total is the third-highest in calendar year history, after only former Pakistan player Mohammad Yousuf and West Indies legend Viv Richards.

Root registered two double centuries and a further four hundreds, including three in successive Tests against India during England’s home series.

“I am incredibly proud to receive this award,” said the 31-year-old, only the second Englishman to win the accolade after Alastair Cook in 2011.

“I am very humbled to be in the same breath as a number of wonderful players around the world and it means a huge amount.”

He added: “If there was one hundred that really sticks out it would probably be at Chennai against India, the first Test match of that series (he scored 218).

“With it being my 100th game it is something that will live long in the memory.”

Despite Root’s individual accomplishments, England had a terrible year in Test cricket, winning only four of their 15 matches.

They lost the Ashes series in Australia, where Root failed to record a century and series against India and New Zealand.

Kyle Jamieson of New Zealand, Dimuth Karunaratne of Sri Lanka, and Ravichandran Ashwin of India were the other nominees for the prize.

Smriti Mandhana of India was named ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year, winning the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy.

In 22 internationals, she scored 855 runs at an average of 38.86, with one century and five half-centuries.